ABC’s Good Morning America newscast wasn’t a good morning for former San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, who now heads our Regional Chamber of Commerce.

His photo was mistakenly substituted for that of Bob Filner in the national network’s early newscast about the clamor for Filner’s resignation over harassment allegations. The caption across Sanders’ chest said: “Not resigning.” A photo of Filner was substituted by the time it broadcast on the West Coast, but the damage was done. Several online blogs on Filner’s City Hall troubles had reprinted a screen capture containing Sanders’ photo. Making matters worse, a TV news stream underneath the photo for an unrelated story said: “could spend up to 50 years in prison…”

County Supervisor Ron Roberts called the TV faux pas to Sanders’ attention around noon and his staff scrambled to notify bloggers of the error. By early afternoon, Sanders’ office had received an informal apology from ABC's GMA producers with a formal correction and apology scheduled to air on Saturday’s newscast.

“This is a serious issue,” said Sanders in a statement, “and I am not pleased about being mistakenly associated with such a negative situation.”

ABC got one thing right. Sanders isn’t resigning.

Matthew Balan’s “NewsBusters” blog was one of those that unwarily showed the erroneous photo. He was assailing ABC’s GMA for failing to identify a politician involved in a sex scandal as a Democrat “for the third time in a week.” He later ran a correction, adding salt to the wound by noting that the video incorrectly showed former Mayor Jerry Sanders, “a Republican.”

Opening remarks: Several area politicians and supporters crowded the new San Diego offices of state Assembly Majority Leader Toni Atkins and Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Thursday afternoon. They, along with Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, who was traveling, have just moved into offices just steps apart on the sixth floor of the state building at 1350 Front St. downtown. Assembly Speaker John Pérez came down for the celebration and praised the setup: “This allows us to have the interconnectivity we have in the Capitol,” said Perez.

Humor aside: A local political cartoon collector recently contacted the U-T’s Steve Breen to purchase his original drawing of “Filner and the Filnettes.” No, said Breen. It had already been taken — by Bob Filner. In fact, the mayor has been collecting all of Breen’s originals featuring him since taking office — until, that is, Thursday’s cartoon. That one depicted Filner leaning against his file cabinet responding to a female reporter’s request for a sexual harassment allegation comment: “Sure, over a glass of merlot in my office, Pussycat.”

Memories: Political activist Mike Pallamary attended the news conference outside the office of attorney Cory Briggs, who with Marco Gonzalez and Donna Frye, spoke of credible sexual harassment allegations among City Hall workers that had come to their attention and asking Filner to resign. Pallamary recalled that he had an office in the same Morena Boulevard building when he was involved in the 1991 recall of City Councilwoman Linda Bernhardt.

Ironically, said Pallamary, it was then-City Councilman Filner who was pulling the strings in that successful recall. Now there are calls for Filner’s recall.